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WPI Students Research Stormwater for Central Massachusetts Towns

Worcester Polytechnic Institute believes that students in the engineering and scientific disciplines should have a broad understanding of the cultural and social contexts of those fields, and thus be more effective and socially responsible practitioners and citizens. To this end, WPI developed the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), a nine-credit-hour interdisciplinary requirement involving applied research that connects science or technology with social issues and human needs, conducted through WPI's Worcester Community Project Center.

Under the guidance of MassDEP's Central Regional Office, WPI Juniors Andrew Botelho, Vanessa Gorton and Vinay Pai researched, developed and produced a database to rank the relative severity of Illicit Discharges in municipal stormwater systems. This tool will help Massachusetts towns meet some of the coming EPA Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit requirements. It was developed in consultation with the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition (CMRSWC), a group of 30 Massachusetts communities that cooperate across town lines to manage their stormwater systems less expensively.

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